Cholera cases increase to 271 in Mozambique's cyclone-hit Beira

Medical staff mix a chlorine solution for distribution at a health centre dealing with water borne diseases in Beira, Mozambique, March 27, 2019. Image: REUTERS/Mike Hutchings

The number of confirmed cases of cholera in Mozambique's cyclone-hit port city of Beira has nearly doubled to 271 in the last 48 hours, the southern African nation's government said on Saturday.

Government and aid workers are seeking to contain the spread of the disease after cyclone Idai smashed into Beira on March 14, unleashing catastrophic flooding and killing more than 700 people in Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi.

At the opening of a temporary treatment centre in Beira, Environment Minister Celso Correia said there had been 271 cases of cholera reported. He said 138 of those had arrived at medical centres in the last 48 hours.